Sushi lovers eating red tuna out of existence

Ecologists and small-scale fishermen have joined forces to stem the industrial exploitation of Mediterranean fish stocks

AFP , MADRID

The demand for sushi in Japan may finish off stocks of red tuna running dangerously low in the Mediterranean owing to overfishing, say environmentalists from Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

"Japan absorbs between 90 and 95 percent of catches of red tuna and the Mediterranean version is especially appreciated," explains Jose Luis Garcia, head of the WWF oceans section.

The price of a prize red tuna can top 50,000 euros (US$60,000) on the Japanese market.

"In opening new markets, exploitation [of stocks] has been pushed even further," Garcia said, alluding to the growing international taste for sushi.

Ecologists want to highlight the threat in the run-up to a meeting in Croatia of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

And they have made common cause with small-scale fishermen who see industrial-scale practices ravaging the stocks on which they base their livelihood.

For the first time since 2002, the international commission is to re-evaluate annual fishing quotas, which are currently fixed at 32,000 tonnes for the "western Atlantic" zone.

Prior to the November meeting, ICCAT scientists plan to meet in Madrid from June 12 to 18 to draw up a list of recommendations.